Anti-Americanism

Bruce Bawar has written a comprehensive essay on Anti-Americanism in Europe. I highly recommend it. (via Varifrank) This bit particually intrigued me:

Yet he can still see why even highly Americanized foreigners refer to the U.S. as an empire. Why? Because as they struggle to learn and speak English and to find a comfortable meeting place between America’s culture and their own, these foreigners are acutely aware that Americans don’t have to make a comparable effort. English is our language; American culture, our culture. It is our exemption from this otherwise global burden of adaptation, Purdy suggests, that makes us seem “imperial.” He’s right; indeed, an intense consciousness of the imbalance he describes, and the resentment it fosters among non-Americans, is an ever-present factor in the life of any remotely observant American expatriate. “While there is no need,” Purdy adds, “to admire or accept” the notion of American empire, “there is no escaping the need to understand it,” for “the idea of American empire is a part of the world’s imaginary landscape.”

We have all heard the aphorism of America being the shining city on a hill. I think we fail to realize how high that hill can be and how blinding the light that shines from it is to many in other countries. American dominance is something that cannot be ignored by anyone. Our culture, our values, and our economy have a huge effect on the rest of the world and forces them to adapt to us. Now I firmly believe that this is a positive effect. The world does need to become more like America in many ways, but I understand that change is difficult. I can imagine the mental turmoil of a Pakistani who sees his country impovrished and his culteral values challenged by America. Knowing that a language not his own is a prerequisite for the highest levels of success in his own land. Or the anger of a Frenchman, looking at his own nation which not to long ago was a great empire in it's own right and a power to be feared, having to acknowledge, if only internally, that French power has become a mere shadow. He loves his language, believes it is the most beautiful in the world, but for him too, English is the language of the world. What so many miss though, in their hatred and fear of America, is how we got to where we are. Yes we are blessed with a fertile, rich land but it is our culture, or elements of it that are responsible for our success. Primarily, we treat individuals and ends unto themselves not merely means for a stable society. We allow people of all nations to become Americans and still retain their own culteral history. You cannot be an Arab-Frenchman or a Japanese-Pakistani. In America, you can be who you are and be American too. This focus on individuality and willingness to assimilate gives our nation tremendous power. In my mind it is our greatest virtue.